Tool bar assembly for agricultural purposes



July 26, i949.v A. w. BEAN 4 2,477,229

TOOL BAR ASSEMBLY FOR AGRICULTURAL PURPOSES Y l Filed'Feb. 15, 1946 l EyQW Patented July 26, q:1949

TOUUBR ASSEMBLY FOR AGRICULTURAL 'PURPOSES 4Arthur Williamfean,nongkiEngland Animation February-15,1946, serial No. 647342yfinGreatBritain Majy 231 `1944 seefinafnrueneaaw 690,Augnst-s, ieee:Patent mires May 31,1964

3 Chms.

'This invention relates ftotoolbar assemblies for agricultural purposesthat is .to say -to arrangements for .supporting/.Cultivating implementson tractors and other-wheeledappliances.

'Toolbars for 'the-purpose in question are .Well known but suffermanyidisadyantags primarily becanseit isv a lengthypand sometimesdifficult operation to adiust'the tool assembly .to alter .the spacingn'the'toolloradgust the depth of `penetration'into the soil'. At presentit isnecessary tojstop the tractor or othervehicle to adjust 'thedepth'of penetration@ the implements ,and'fto adjust ithe positions :of-:the implements involves slackezfing and 'tightening numerous .nuts.and boltswliiehmafbe' dnlicult and'is nenuently a tedious The principalobjectof the present invention is to'provide an improveditoolfbarassembly which is such'that-thespacingiof the"tooisthereon' maybevarieds'implyandnmclly.

A Afurther Aobject of' the invention is `to provide atool-barassenbly'in itlie deplhgo pene -A tration of thekkiiilplements"intitu:'the"soil may rapidly'besvarietl-andadjusted-'even-whilst the tractor or other wheeledvehicle the bar is in motion.

lAccording to :the present :the y:tool bar comprises a round barhavingumroughout the Whole or theggxeater pant-@Lits ,length ,peripheralparallel grooves and each'tool is mounted on a sleeve having a springleaded member acting through. anearperture in thesleeveto engage-fone ofthe :gironi/es to determi-ne its position `axially along the There be mydesireii'fr-rtunber -Lefrtools mounted onhetooLbarfand eachftooliS-oarried byits individual .sleevettog'be-'iooated in avfdesiredpositional relationship along the length of the tool by the engagementof its spring loaded members in a groove in the tool bar at the desiredposition. It is therefore a simple matter to adjust the position of atool by displacing its spring loaded member and, after axialdisplacement of the sleeve, re-engage it in a groove in the adjustedposition of the sleeve.

Further according to the present invention a pivoted frame has its mainmembers extending parallel with the tool bar, springs are providedbetween the ends of the implement carrying members or extensions thereofand one of the main members, and means are provided for adjusting theangular position of the frame to adjust the penetration of theimplements determined by their carrying members engaging the one frame`member under the action of the springs '2 connected to the other .framemember. The an guiar position ofthe lframezmay benaried .in :anyconvenient manner as by attaching ,it .to an fopf eratinglevenhaving amanually ,operable spring loadledpawleneageable withthe :teeth Tof aguadran Y Inoizder-that theinventionmaybe clearly runF derstoodandreadilyfcarried into effeetrthesamfe is heneinatervmore ,fullydescribedwith .,refer ence vto the accompanying v,drawings which aregiven 'iol' purposes .of illustration .only .and not ef limitation. y f

In these drawings- Figure 1 .is Ya ,perspectiwe viewof -thetool Lbarassembly showing a `number-of implement :carrying arms .mounted thereonand the v.means fior adjusting .the .depth of penetration of the teultivatlngimplements. Y i

v,Fig1i11e`2'is a nerspeetivedetail view-on an enlarged scale showngthesleeve 4portiorioi enf-,implement carrying arm and .its vconnectionmeans which engagewith thetoollbanand Figure 3 is .also -a perspectineview. on Ian e Y langedscale showing thersleeue portionof animplementYcarrying arm with alternative-means @for connectingthesameto thebar. l

Referring now to `the .said drawings, in `which like parts ,bear like.reference numerals, and particular to Fiennes l1 :and 2-thereof,.,a.tool .bar I tof any desredlength andany y,comleriientfdi ameter. .hasperipheral grooves 2 provnl-e4i1V throughoutfthe whole nor ,greater:part of length. `'Ibe grooves vare out to anyconvenient depth and arespaced ,desirably lregularlfy at shortintervalsf 'libe ltool bar il issapportedaat its V.ends in :suitable l.holding brackets 3 4 made fast toa metal frame-work 5 on or carried by a tractor or other wheeledvehicle. The tool bar may also -be supported at its middle or at one ormore intermediate points, for example on an intermediate member 51 ofthe frame-Work 5. The tool bar I is held non-rotatably in its supportingbrackets 3, 4 conveniently by grub screws extending therethrough toengage the bar itself. It will be understood, therefore, that the toolbar is quite readily separable from its supporting brackets.

Each tool carrying member, conveniently in the form of a meta1 tube 6with a meta1 bar extension member 61, is made fast to a sleeve 'I as bywelding, and the bore in the sleeve 1 is large enough to receive thetool bar l whilst the length of the sleeve is sufficient to obtain agood bearing on the tool bar against swinging movement. On each member 6is a spring loaded member which 6. A radial slot 'I1 is provided in thesleeve-1 through which the element 9 may extend. to engage with thegrooves in the toolbar I.

In an alternative construction as illustrated in Figure 3, the springloaded member comprises. a bolt 91 which extends through the sleeve Isubstantially as illustrated and has a cranked end 92 beyond a bearinglug 62 on the -bar extension member 61 of the implement carrying member-6. A coil spring 81 is provided betweenf the lug 62 and a collar (notshown) fast on the bolt 91 to urge the end of the bolt in grooveengaging direction. The bolt 91 may easily be retracted by taking holdof its cranked end 92.

Also rotatable on the tool bar I (see Figure 1) is a number of radialarms I0, II, I2 connected together at their free ends by a mainframemember I3 and at a point intermediate their length by another framemember I4 par' allel withthe member I3 and parallel also with the toolbar I; the parts I0, II, I2 and I3, I4 forming a-,rigid frame. Theextension member 61 extends to the opposite side of the pivotal axis tothe tube 6 and a spring I5 connects the free end of each extension 61with the member I3. The action of the springs I5 is to tend to rotatethe implement carrying members 6 so that the cultivating implementscarried at their ends will penetrate into the ground, the depth ofpenetration being limited when the extensions 61 contact the member I4.One of the radial arms, for example the radial arm II has a radiallyextending handle I 6 made fastl to its boss so as to extend at an angleto the arm I I. The handle I6 is movable adjacent a square toothed quad'rant II and carries a manually operable spring loaded pawl I9 adapted toengage one of the teeth of the quadrant to lock the radial arms I0, II,I2 in a particular angular relationship to give a particular depthofpenetration into the ground to the implements carried on the endsofthe members 6. The arrangement is desirably-such that when the handleI6 is in its more orless vertical limit position the bar I4 acting onthe extensions 61 will rock the member 6 tolift the implements carriedthereby out of contact with the ground.

The arms IIl, II, I2 may extend to opposite sides of the pivotal axiswhen the limiting bar Il may be on the opposite side of the tool bar tothe spring carrying bar I3 with equal effect. Whilst it is preferred touse the grooved tool bar with its radially adjustable implement carryingsleeve members with the depth of penetration regulating meansA describedabove, the same may, of course, 'be used with'other means for`regulating the depth of penetration of the implements and for urging theimplements into the ground or even Without the provision of such means.

I claim:

l. A tool bar assembly for supporting cultivating implements onagricultural machinery comprising a bar having spaced peripheral groovesthereon, spaced sleeves rotatable on said bar and an implement carryingmember fixed to each sleeve on one side of the bar and having anextension projecting on the other side of the bar,

a spring loaded detent ixed to each member for engaging the grooveadjacent said sleeve to position said member axially on said bar; aframe pivoted to said bar and having inner and o uter rods parallel tosaid banspring means connecting the outer rod with the adjacent ends ofthe implement carrying extension, the inner rod lying above theextension so as to engage the same when the frame is rocked on itspivot, means for rocking the frame so that when it is tilted in onedirection the springs urge theimplement carrying members downwardly, andwhen it is tilted in the opposite direction, the inner bar urges saidmembers upwardly, and means for locking said frame in any desiredposition.

2. A device according to claim 1 in which the sleeve is provided with anopening yand the detent extends into said opening to engage the grooveinthebar. A

3. A device accordingto claim 1 in which a quadrant is supported lon theagricultural lmachine and a control lever is xed to said frame adjacentsaid quadrant, said lever having a. pawl engageable with said quadrantto fix said frame in its adjusted positions. l

' ARTHUR WILLIAM BEAN.

"REFERENCES CITED The following references file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS are of record in the Number VClement Oct. 15,19,29

